ASIA MEDIA WRITES — President Xi’s two-term limit has been abolished, meaning he might be President of China indefinitely. As the news sets in, Chinese citizens take to social media to express their mixed emotions. Following these reactions, the Chinese government were quick to crack down on Chinese netizens, banning…
FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD — Over the span of history, this nation has grown from thirteen fissiparous colonies to become the most powerful nation on earth. And while the challenges have been many, you have preserved the flame of liberal democracy throughout the nation’s rise. When this nation…
HRIPSIME MARTIROSYAN WRITES – Guo Pei is China’s most popular couturier. Well renowned for show-stopping magnificence in design, she was recently voted one of the top 100 most influential personalities in China. Oblivious to the potency that awaited her, baby Pei was born in Beijing in 1967 to a teacher…
TRUMAN DALY WRITES – Following months of tension on the Korean Peninsula, President Donald Trump has accepted an offer from Kim Jong-un to discuss denuclearization in North Korea. Despite rapid escalation of North Korean missile testing and development over the past few months, South Korean officials announced that Kim expressed…
RACHEL OAKES WRITES – When one company that is “too big to fail” can’t pay off its debts, that is no more than a data point. When two of these companies can’t pay off their debts, it’s a coincidence. When three companies from the Fortune Global 500 face pressing insolvency,…
MURAD BASRAWI WRITES – Pakistan faces a growing problem with people disposing garbage, toxic household waste, and chemicals in public areas. In response, some areas in Pakistan are urgently passing laws banning the dumping of garbage in public places, reports Dawn, the widely respected newspaper published in Islamabad. The province…
MATTHEW RODRIGUEZ WRITES – The Philippines’ House of Representatives found probable cause for impeachment of the first female Chief Justice, Maria Lourdes Sereno. Justice Sereno has been accused of corruption and under-reporting income, among other allegations. This historic figure denies them all. But in a resounding result, the justice committee…
TOM PLATE WRITES — America is now more confused than ever about North Korea. And it’s not all Mr Trump’s fault. Neither can America fairly say it’s all China’s fault. For as long as I have been writing about Asia, North Korea has been the black hole of American foreign…
DIANA JABLONSKI WRITES – Riots and protesting broke out in India last month against the release of the controversial Bollywood film “Padmaavat.” Protesters have filled streets, vandalized cinemas, ransacked shops, burned vehicles, and called for the film’s ban. In fact, protests started a year before the film’s release, with vandals…
KATRINA CROSBY WRITES – Lap sitting is often not allowed with adults, but two Vietnamese workers were able to get away with it on a Lunar New Year train in Taiwan. These two men stole the hearts of social media users as one of them willingly gave up his seat…
MICHAELA MERTZ WRITES – Lunar New Year is typically a time for celebration and relaxation, right? Not so for millions of Taiwanese citizens living in China. The current battle over air space in the Taiwan Strait, located between China and Taiwan, is to blame for the unrest. More than 170…
NADIA ALJOJO WRITES – According to the Pew Research Center, more than 70% of Americans worry about the future of robotics. Based on the results of this survey, few will be enthusiastic to hear that robots are officially one step closer to taking over the world. Case in point: By…
NINA YUSTIARTI WRITES – Since August, more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh for safety. The Rohingya are one of many ethnic minorities in the country of Myanmar. With around one million people identifying as Rohingya Muslims, they represent the largest percentage of Muslims in the country. They…
TIARA SALVABILLA WRITES – Alchemiya, the so-called “Netflix for Muslims,” is making a play for Asia. The video on demand (VOD) service is known for shedding positive light on Muslims and Muslim culture. Since its launch in 2014 it has gained thousands of users from 10 different countries and is…
NICOLAS SWAYA WRITES – Investing in technology is not a new concept for much of the public; we in the West especially take this for granted. But in many parts of the world, such as Indonesia, investing in technology is foreign and uncommon. According to Deloitte, fewer than 1 in…
MATTHEW RODRIGUEZ WRITES – After more than 12,000 deaths, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced it will investigate human rights violations from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.” In July 2016, Duterte made headlines after introducing his anti-drugs initiative, which advocated the killing of anyone associated with the drug…
